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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · bear · fall · chip · date · bulb · arm · perch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fall — to drop
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bear — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fall — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com